Holidays and Other Fun Stuff

With the holiday season upon us and 2017 right around the corner, we wanted to take the time to recognize some local, Pasadena-based Christmas light displays that pulled out all the stops to make this year’s holiday season one of the most festive yet. These holiday display “marketers” took the time and put in plenty of effort to make sure their streets are spreading lots of holiday cheer for everyone to enjoy. The annual barrage of lights, courtesy of the residents of the Upper Hastings Ranch area in Pasadena, is available for viewing from December 10, 2016 –January 1, 2017. To make your visit as joyful as possible, the team at SLS compiled its own “Top 5 Must See Houses” list as a handy reference tool. Read the rest »

You could purchase M80s, cherry bombs, bottle rockets, and other fireworks and conduct your own show in your backyard, but needless to say, this is extremely ill advised. If you want to avoid becoming a statistic on the next Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) report, we recommend that you hit up any of the venues listed below and let the pros handle the explosives so you and your family can enjoy a spectacular show without blowing up a hand or getting burned. Read the rest »

May is National Pet Month, which aims to raise awareness of how beneficial humans can be for pets, and vice versa. It also helps promote pet adoption, while highlighting the importance of service and emotional support animals. Here at SLS, our furry friends come in all shapes and sizes, and we love with all of our hearts.

Our feline friends have no shortage of personality. SLSer Rachael’s cat “Brixton” was adopted when he was only a few months old, as a surprise for her and her brothers. Brixton can be a bit smug and moody towards almost anyone that ISN’T Rachael (her dad was only very recently ‘allowed’ to pet him), but when Rachael is around, he can be described as “affectionate” and “vocal.”

SLSer Lety’s cat “Bella” is similarly fickle towards humans, and even towards other cats as well (her only animal friend is a dog). Bella has a penchant for following her human Lety around, finding a comfy place for herself regardless of how many times she has to move from room to room. She also ONLY drinks water out of a faucet. It could be said that both Bella and Brixton are very, very “catty.” Read the rest »

May 4-8, 2015 was National Small Business Week, a time to acknowledge and celebrate the millions of small businesses across the country that employ nearly 60 percent of the U.S. workforce. This year, the U.S. Small Business Association’s theme is “Dream Big, Start Small” as most businesses originate from just one entrepreneur with a dream to go big, make a difference, and truly thrive.

At SLS Consulting, our own beginning was no less humble. More than 15 years ago, SLS founder Susan Sipe decided to finally take the leap and start her own Legal Internet Marketing company. It is certainly no easy decision to venture out and become an entrepreneur, but as a mother of three, the prospect of being able to stay at home with her children, set her own hours, and take charge of her career made it a risk worth taking. Read the rest »

I admit it. I come from a long line of dyed-in-the wool, Ichabod-Crane-loving, harvest-moon-worshipping, weirdos that considered Halloween on par, if not slightly more important, than every other holiday. My grandparents owned a costume shop and my father was chairman of a “haunted” something every year – so being scared, scaring others and coming up with inventive ways to accomplish both WHILE eating a metric ton of candy was just the way it was towards the end of October. Over the years, I became less and less enthusiastic, but the urge to carve a pumpkin or dress-up like a zombie-werewolf-thing at the first sign of fall never really left me.

So, when I moved from Brooklyn to Los Angeles this year I wondered – how do Californians handle Halloween? I know what it is like for Northeastern ‘Weeners, but what was it like for kids growing up in LA?

Being the great folks they are, my fellow SLSrs took a few minutes out of their busy day to clue me in. I started with a simple question – As a kid, what did you most look forward to on Halloween?Read the rest »

It’s hard to believe, but summer is winding down; however, that doesn’t mean the warm days and evenings in southern California are going to go away any time soon (as those who have spent any time in Los Angeles in September and October can attest to).

So, what does this mean for you? Well, there are two things Angelenos love: movies and being outside in the warm night air. So, it is fortunate that there are many locations in the area that will be home to outdoor movie screenings. These venues are budget- and (mostly) family-friendly and there is still time to catch some great movies before the summer ends.

Here are some movers-and-shakers on the L.A. outdoor movie front:

Street Food Cinema

If you like street truck food (and who doesn’t?) then you’ll love Saturday evenings with Street Food Cinema. In August through September they throw outdoor parties that include street food, live music, and yes, movie screenings. The locations vary throughout Los Angeles, so you might want to check exactly where the screenings are. For a comprehensive listing of films, locations, street trucks, and bands, check out streetfoodcinema.com. Read the rest »

Flowers, chocolates, and glittery cards are probably the most obvious (and safest) choices for treating your mom to something nice on Mother’s Day. And while no one is really going to turn down any type of present any day of the year, are trinkets and baubles really what mothers want on a day centered on honoring the many amazing things our mothers do for us?

For so many moms, day-to-day life is a made up of juggling a variety of tasks and playing numerous roles, such as spouse, breadwinner, caregiver, daughter, business planner, and on and on. According to the Pew Research Center, women make up almost half of the U.S. labor force and 66 percent of those women have children ages 17 or younger. Across the board, whether a mom is working full time, part time, or stay-at-home, mothers reported feel rushed. So, when thinking of what to do for your mom on May 11, you may want to consider these options. Read the rest »

Even before the final snow of winter has thawed, sometimes as early as February, you begin to see him on television, at the mall, even in miniature chocolate form at your local grocery story.

The Easter Bunny is one of the most notable (and delicious) signs of spring. He arrives every year to deliver pastel baskets laden with some of the best candy since Halloween and colorfully painted chicken eggs.

But who is this cotton-tailed holiday character?

Oschter Haws

For many ancient cultures, the arrival of spring also meant a sudden abundance of rabbits, making the long-eared creatures one of the many symbols of spring’s promise of new life. However, the first mention of rabbits and Easter can be traced back to German folklore around the 1600s, in which the ancient symbol became linked with the religious holiday. This festive rabbit became known as “Oschter Haws,” or the Easter Hare, and took on the role of a sort of Santa Claus character, bringing colored eggs to good children on Easter morning. German immigrants brought the Oschter Haws tradition with them to the U.S. in the 1700s, and the rest is history. Read the rest »

March is National Reading Month, so the staff at SLS Consulting decided to pick their favorite books and discuss why they love them so much.

As you can see below, every staff member has a book that has left a major impression on his or her life. Read on to see our picks and get inspired to pick up a new book! Do you have a favorite? Are any of these near and dear to your heart? Let us know on our Facebook page!

Susan – The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

This series was the first I remember really reading for pleasure as a child and it kindled a lifelong sense of wonder and excitement for reading. I’ve read them by myself many times and I’ve also read them to my children. Reading is a way to escape from reality without really going anywhere. This series reminds us that the imagination is a beautiful thing and that if we believe, anything is possible. These books have many life lessons housed within their pages: unexpected acts of kindness, unusual friendships, loyalty, betrayal, fear, and love. I rarely read a book twice, but I have read these many times.

Kathleen – You Can’t Go Home Again by Thomas Wolfe

Wolfe is actually my favorite author of all time. I love all of his books and reread them occasionally. I can’t actually put into words why I loved You Can’t Go Home Again the first time that I read it, but I still enjoy going to Asheville, North Carolina. I love to read and read anything and everything, but I go back to Thomas Wolfe. I also love Thomas Hardy, Ayn Rand, and F. Scott Fitzerald. There are a few current writers that I enjoy but cannot choose one as a favorite.

Leticia – No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre

I read it a while ago, but I remember loving this play because of the existentialist message at the end. I enjoyed Sartre’s exploration of what hell could be like in a non-traditional sense. It also made me think about how the dynamic of a group depends on the people in it. If it’s the right group of people, wonderful. If people aren’t compatible with each other, it’s only a matter of time before things start to become “interesting.” Read the rest »

Do you know what a “blessing bag” is? If you don’t, allow us to give you a brief rundown of what blessing bags are, and how they can help out the people around us who are the most in need.

A blessing bag (usually a Ziploc) contains small, non-perishable items meant to help out a person less fortunate who might be down on his or her luck. These items, while small, are truly blessings for someone who may not have much. At SLS Consulting, we’ve made it a point to pass these bags out to those who are less fortunate than we are, and are often greeted with sincere smiles from the people we’re helping out.

For the seventh year in a row, Professional Child Development Associates (PCDA) is holding its annual Holiday Toy Drive! Between November 26th and December 21st, 2018, unwrapped, non-battery-operated …